Having A Writing Disability

In my last blog post, I talked about the C-Print. The C-Print is an assistive technology device that helps children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (sensory disability) be able to communicate. In this blog, I am going to be talking about other assistive technology devices that would be useful for students who have a writing disability. In addition to the new assistive technology devices I will be introducing you to, I will also be mentioning the C-Print, because the C-Print is a great assistive technology device to help students with a writing disability be able to take notes!

The purpose of this blog post is to help educators understand what assistive technology devices are available to help their students with the writing process and what other steps need to be taken to make sure that the assistive technology is being used appropriately and benefiting the child.

One of the main things that students with writing disabilities struggle with is the processes that is involved with writing. Those writing processes include; prewriting, drafting, reviewing, editing and sharing. Since the writing process is difficult for students with writing disabilities, it is not uncommon for them to try to avoid writing all together.

Writing Disabilities In The Classroom

• Step 1: If you have a student with a writing disability in your classroom it is important to make sure that they get specific instruction on the writing process.
• Step 2: There is TONS of assistive technology devices out there that can be helpful in each of the  five areas of the writing process.



Talking Dictionary

• Prewriting: An assistive technology device that is helpful for students who struggle with prewriting is using a graphic organizer, like Inspiration.
• Drafting: Assistive technology devices that are helpful for students who struggle with drafting include; word processing, word prediction with custom dictionaries and speech recognition software.
• Reviewing: An assistive technology device that is helpful for students who struggle with reviewing is using text-to-speech software.
• Editing: Assistive technology devices that are helpful for students who are struggling with editing include; text-to-speech, phonetic spellchecks, talking dictionaries, thesaurus, grammar checker, and text correction software.
• Sharing: Assistive technology devices that are helpful for students who are struggling with sharing include; word processing, multimedia presentation applications, digital storytelling, blogs and wikis. 
• (Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A, & Petroff, J.G.).
• Step 3: Train the student(s) on how to use the specific assistive technology tools that would be helpful for them.
• Step 4: Train the student(s) on how to use the assistive technology tools to "enhance the writing process" (Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A, & Petroff, J.G.). 
• Step 5: If the student is struggling with taking notes, a teacher should consider using one, or more than one, of the following technology tools to support the students in their room; a portable word processor, SmartPens, Braille note takers, capturing devices, and CART and C-Print services.
• (Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A, & Petroff, J.G.).

SmartPen

Writing is a life-long skill. You are asked to write using the above writing process in elementary school all the way through college.  Since this is a life-long skill, I think it is very important for teachers to take advantage of assistive technology, especially the low-tech assistive technology devices that almost all classrooms have, to help those students in their room who have writing disabilities. With the help of assistive technology, and making sure that the students are using the devices properly, in a way that would enhance their learning, these students who once avoided writing will be begging to show off their skills!

Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A, & Petroff, J.G. (2012). Assistive Technology in the Classroom. Boston: PEARSON.